Barcelona has consolidated itself as an open city, with an entrepreneurial spirit, innovative, and with a clear international vocation. In recent years, it has also taken important steps in women's leadership: their presence in decision-making positions has gone from being an exception to a priority and, today, companies and institutions are more aware than ever that betting on female talent is not only a matter of social justice, but of competitiveness, innovation, and economic sustainability.
But the path towards real equity still presents challenges. Invisible barriers, the wage gap, and difficulties in work-life balance continue to limit many professional careers, and too many women still hesitate to raise their hand to take on new challenges.
It is precisely in this context that, inspired by the global movement created by Sheryl Sandberg in California, Lean In Network Barcelona was born, led by Ikuska Sanz. What started in 2016 with a modest gathering of 17 women in Gràcia, has become, ten years later, the largest Lean In community in Spain and one of the top five in Europe, bringing together more than 2,200 members and 29 active circles.
But if there is something that makes us proud, it is not the numbers. It is the stories.
Those of women who have found work thanks to a contact from the community. Those who have changed sectors or dared to undertake. Those who have negotiated a promotion or a better salary. Those who have discovered that they were not alone in a professional challenge. Or those who have arrived in Barcelona from another country and have found in Lean In their first network of support, friendship, and professional development.
That a community driven almost entirely by volunteering, with the altruistic support of many companies and institutions that have believed in the project, has experienced such exponential growth in a decade offers us a very clear double interpretation. On the one hand, that there is still a real need to find spaces for support, mentoring, and connection. And, on the other hand, that when women share experiences, support each other, and grow together, the impact expands far beyond each of them.
Looking to the future, I would like us no longer to have to talk about female leadership, but simply about good leadership. A diverse, inclusive, and human leadership, where men and women have the same opportunities to grow and to reach wherever they want.
Meanwhile, we will continue doing what we know best: building community. Gender equity can no longer be understood as a set of isolated initiatives, but as a shared commitment that requires the direct involvement of everyone. Because if these ten years have taught us anything, it is that change begins with a conversation, with a helping hand, or with someone who encourages a woman to sit at the table. And when this happens, all of us move forward.